Today, those rumors gain a bit more in the way of traction as Konami has separately announced that it’s working on a new Metal Gear and hiring new team members.

Both sites are in Japanese, but the rough translation is that they have elected to start a new Metal Gear series once Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is out this year.

As for the staffers, they offer that they’re looking for developers with a rich imagination, the ability to create innovative ideas and a strong passion for making games.

None of this confirms or discounts the notion that Hideo Kojima is done after The Phantom Pain. That’s all conjecture until something official comes out. The evidence is mounting, though. Kojima Productions has been renamed to Konami Los Angeles, Kojima’s name has been pulled from Metal Gear‘s assets and all the word from inside sources. It isn’t official, but it sure is adding up to massive rumor fodder.

We’ll see what happens with Kojima, Konami and Metal Gear in the coming months. Stay tuned.